Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) was 2.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sierra Leone, 1970–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sierra Leone is 2.4%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 35.8% on the previous year and down 36.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sierra Leone peaked at 19.6% in 2011 and was at its lowest, -28.6%, in 1986.
Sierra Leone ranks 91st of 201 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.9% | — |
| 1971 | 1.2% | -34.3% |
| 1972 | 0.8% | -34.1% |
| 1973 | 1.1% | +32.9% |
| 1974 | 1.6% | +49.2% |
| 1975 | 1.5% | -8.2% |
| 1976 | 1.4% | -3.9% |
| 1977 | 0.7% | -48.8% |
| 1978 | 2.5% | +245.3% |
| 1979 | 1.4% | -42.6% |
| 1980 | -1.7% | -217.0% |
| 1981 | 0.7% | -139.7% |
| 1982 | 0.4% | -46.3% |
| 1983 | 0.2% | -52.8% |
| 1984 | 0.5% | +215.7% |
| 1985 | -3.6% | -770.8% |
| 1986 | -28.6% | +692.3% |
| 1987 | 6.0% | -120.9% |
| 1988 | -2.2% | -136.7% |
| 1989 | 2.4% | -209.5% |
| 1990 | 5.0% | +108.4% |
| 1991 | 1.0% | -80.7% |
| 1992 | -0.8% | -185.6% |
| 1993 | -1.0% | +17.9% |
| 1994 | -0.3% | -67.5% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | -365.5% |
| 1996 | 0.1% | -91.6% |
| 1997 | 0.2% | +200.3% |
| 1998 | 0.0% | -92.6% |
| 1999 | 0.1% | +410.6% |
| 2000 | 6.1% | +7600.0% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -90.5% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | -7.9% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | -25.3% |
| 2004 | 2.7% | +579.8% |
| 2005 | 3.6% | +30.4% |
| 2006 | 1.8% | -49.4% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | +45.7% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | -51.4% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | +118.7% |
| 2010 | 5.6% | +100.2% |
| 2011 | 19.6% | +249.6% |
| 2012 | 11.8% | -39.8% |
| 2013 | 5.7% | -51.3% |
| 2014 | 4.9% | -14.8% |
| 2015 | 3.7% | -23.8% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | -38.8% |
| 2017 | 7.2% | +216.1% |
| 2018 | 2.9% | -59.6% |
| 2019 | 1.9% | -35.7% |
| 2020 | 0.8% | -59.2% |
| 2021 | 3.0% | +291.6% |
| 2022 | 2.0% | -31.8% |
| 2023 | 2.3% | +11.7% |
| 2024 | 1.7% | -23.2% |
| 2025 | 2.4% | +35.8% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 2.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.1%, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 2.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.0%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Sierra Leone changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +7600.0% | 0.1% | 6.1% |
| 1985 | -770.8% | 0.5% | -3.6% |
| 1986 | -692.3% | -3.6% | -28.6% |
| 2004 | +579.8% | 0.4% | 2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.4% | 0.7% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | -2.6% | -28.6% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5% | -1.0% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.2% | 0.4% | 6.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.5% | 1.9% | 19.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.0% | 0.8% | 3.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More economy & growth data for Sierra Leone
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.55 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.53 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate -18.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0324 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 27.41 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -22.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0236 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 20.01 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0381 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sierra Leone?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sierra Leone was 2.4% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 19.6% in 2011.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was -28.6% in 1986.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- Sierra Leone ranks 91st out of 201 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Foreign direct investment is the net inflows of investment to acquire a lasting management interest (10 percent or more of voting stock) in an enterprise operating in an economy other than that of the investor. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, other long-term capital, and short-term capital as shown in the balance of payments. This series shows net inflows (new investment inflows less disinvestment) in the reporting economy from foreign investors, and is divided by GDP.